For many years, there have been dramatic technological leaps made with respect to microprocessors. There have also been great strides made in manufacturing and producing microprocessors. For several years, the processing power of the current line of microprocessors was increasing dramatically. The increase in processing power resulted in speedier processors capable of doing more operations in a unit of time than the predecessor. Speed was also gained because of changes in architecture of the processors. Dual processors were used in computing devices. Sometimes quad processors were implemented in a single box so that tasks could be divided up and still more operations could be handled in a unit of time. These increases could also be termed as increases in processing power. These increases were a factor in increasing computer sales for several years. The increased processing power also allowed programmers to produce more complex programs. For example, video games became more lifelike as the processing power increased. The graphics on the next new game were always more lifelike than the last generation. New games would have to be bought by a consuming public that had a constant thirst for the latest and greatest games.
During this time processes for forming transistors and conductors on a circuit board also improved. Yields of microprocessors went up and the size of the microprocessors went down. During this time, the market price for earlier generation microprocessors dropped. One would think that the old microprocessors would be discontinued. However, the old microprocessor designs proved very reliable and there were many applications for these old generation microprocessors. This resulted in wide use of microprocessors. Microprocessors were used in autos to control speed, and to control the fuel to air mixture entering the combustion chamber. Today, a low end car has a cockpit that rivals the cockpits of some of the older airplanes. Microprocessors are pervasive. For example, it is not uncommon to have a microprocessor in a toaster. Microprocessors are also in many other consumer products, including televisions, stereos and the like. These products are feature rich and are desired by all.
Theft is another age old problem. When feature rich consumer products, instruments or other objects are present, thieves will take them. Losing objects and instruments is also an age old problem. In addition, sometimes, the instruments or objects can be misplaced or intentionally placed and then forgotten.
Over the past ten to fifteen years there has also been a huge growth in receivers that use the Global Positioning System (“GPS”). The GPS is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of about 30 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal information to earth. Using a microprocessor, GPS receivers take this information and use triangulation to calculate the user's exact location. Essentially, the GPS receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far away the satellite is. With distance measurements from other satellites, the GPS receiver can determine the position of the GPS receiver. A GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least three satellites to calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and track movement. With four or more satellites in view, the receiver can determine the user's 3D position (latitude, longitude and altitude).